The nation's top running back, Byrnes (S.C.) High's Marcus Lattimore, is supposed to end the recruiting suspense Tuesday at 5 p.m., central time, at his church in Duncan, S.C.

He has two choices - the home-state South Carolina Gamecocks or the Auburn Tigers.

Phil Kornblut, the recruiting guru in the state of South Carolina, says he'll be surprised if Lattimore doesn't pick the Gamecocks, while a couple other recruiting services seem to think the speedster could commit to the Tigers and coach Gene Chizik.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and several assistants did make it to Duncan Saturday afternoon to meet with Lattimore. Chizik and four of his assistants, including offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, visited with Lattimore on Friday.

Lattimore's coach, Chris Miller, offers this take on all the fuss his star runner is putting himself through to decide between Auburn and South Carolina.

"Both schools have been recruiting him real hard," he said. "I hope Marcus does something that's going to benefit him and do something that makes him happy. He deserves it."

That's it.

Lattimore's parents, as Kornblut says, have done much of the heavy lifting during recruiting to take the pressure off him.

The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper, shared some of the behind-the-scenes lifting by the family on Saturday.

His mother, Yolanda Smith, the paper said, did the research on prospective schools, cataloging printouts about their facilities and coaches' backgrounds and academic opportunities in color-coded folders in a two-drawer file cabinet beside the dining room table.

Yolanda and Marcus' stepdad, Vernon Smith, accompanied Lattimore on every college visit.

"When I go to a school, I just have fun. I meet the players and the coaches and just enjoy myself," says Lattimore. "They are the main ones asking most of the questions, and I like that," Lattimore said earlier. "I don't have to worry about anything."